El Paso could know by week's end whether a Triple-A baseball team is coming to town, though questions about paying for the stadium may be creating confusion among the public and even city officials, according to MountainStar Sports Group members.

Paul Foster and Joshua Hunt told the El Paso Times on Monday that they expect to hear from the Pacific Coast League by Friday. If the sale of a minor-league team is approved, it would take another 30 to 60 days to close the contract, they said.

"The plan is that if we acquire the team, they will continue to play where they're playing today until we have the stadium built," said Foster, who could not confirm which team the group is looking to buy because negotiations are not final.

The Tucson Padres, the minor-league affiliate of the San Diego Padres, is for sale but recently committed to stay in Arizona for the 2013 season.

The City Council in June committed to building a $50 million Downtown baseball stadium if a team was secured. The commitment was necessary for MountainStar Sports to continue negotiations to buy a team and bring it to El Paso. The 7,000- to 9,000-seat stadium would be built where City Hall is now located and could open as soon as April 2014.

In an interview Monday, Foster said he is concerned recent "noise" created by those who have voiced opposition to the project without fully understanding the big picture "is not helpful in securing the team.

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Moot-point noise

Most recently, Mayor John Cook told a local publication that he would veto any vote to issue bonds for the stadium, possibly halting the project.

On Monday, Cook said that he remains supportive of the baseball team and the stadium, and added that he was only referring to the use of certificates of obligation should voters turn down the proposed hotel tax increase to pay for the stadium. Certificates of obligation are repaid through tax dollars but don't require voter approval.

The mayor said the issue is a moot-point because the attorney general has said that tax dollars cannot be used for stadiums or sports venues. The Finance Division of the Attorney General's Office must review and approve all bonds before they can be issued.

Cook was not at the June council meeting and missed the lengthy presentations by city staff on financing options, which included the discussion of other "lawfully available revenue" -- anything but property taxes, basically. Cook had a prior commitment to participate on a national panel with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Cook said he emailed Foster on Monday apologizing for the confusion.

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He also sent a letter to the Barrett Sports Group, the sports management consulting firm working with MountainStar to secure the team, expressing his continued support of the team and the stadium.

"I fully support this project and believe it is an important component to our plans to revitalize our Downtown," Cook said in his letter to Barrett Sports.

In November, voters will decide if the stadium should be paid for by increasing the hotel tax from 15.5 percent to 17.5 percent, a proposal opposed by the El Paso Hotel Motel Association. That would add about $1.40 a night to the average El Paso hotel bill, and city officials estimate that would generate about $35 million over 25 years. The remaining cost would be paid for with rent charged to the team owners; a ticket surcharge; parking revenues; and sales taxes on tickets, concessions and more.

If voters turn down the hotel tax increase, the city would still be obligated to build the stadium using other revenue sources, including lease revenue bonds, hotel tax dollars already being collected by the city, bridge tolls and more. Other revenue sources that make up the general fund, such as franchise fees and fines collected by the city, could be used.

"We would not be putting the city's finances at risk if we didn't believe professionally that we couldn't support this project and create economic development opportunities with it," City Manager Joyce Wilson said.

"We have put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into this project that has been in the analysis stages for two years," Wilson said. "We will continue with our due diligence in every step moving forward."

Other cities with Triple-A baseball teams report an economic impact of up to $18 million a year -- a figure Deputy City Manager Bill Studer said he anticipates El Paso can surpass.

Naysayers and believers

Foster and Hunt said it's economic development that they're trying to bring to El Paso despite what others may believe.

"I think you have naysayers out there who are always going to believe that something inappropriate is going on," Foster said.

"It's always been just an effort to bring a baseball team to El Paso and at the same time revitalize Downtown and spur economic development in the region."

Hunt, senior vice president of Hunt Companies, and Foster, executive chairman of Western Refining Inc., said they want to send a clear message that there's no "deal" going on behind the scenes. Both men said there's a significant investment -- and risk -- that MountainStar Sports is taking in buying a team.

"Are we going to potentially make a dollar on this? There's that possibility," Hunt said. "Are we going to lose a few dollars on this? There's that possibility as well."

"The bigger picture is that we have a desire to make our community more competitive from a quality-of-life aspect," Hunt said.

The Foster and Hunt families are among the city's largest philanthropists, giving millions to the El Paso Children's Hospital, the University of Texas at El Paso and numerous other organizations.

The Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is named after the local businessman, who donated $50 million to kick-start the school. The Hunt Family Foundation recently donated $10 million to create the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

When asked if acquiring a Major League Soccer team is next on MountainStar's agenda, Foster said the group has talked about it.

"It's a big challenge, but it would also be a big accomplishment," he said. "It's a much bigger investment, both for a team and a stadium."

Hunt added, "Hopefully a very successful minor-league baseball team in Downtown is something to take to MLS in the future as a show that El Paso can and will support these sports teams and soccer wouldn't be too far fetched."